CHANA LIN-KIZLSZTEJN Kiryat Bialystok, Israel A RESCUED CHILD SPEAKS On June 22, 1941, some Jewish children from Bialy- stok were at the Druskeniki resort, a camp for young- sters. At five o’clock in the morning, our vacation turned into a nightmare. The skies darkened with Ger- man attack airplanes out to destroy us. We were besieged by bombs — powerless, isolated, and panic- stricken. Our screams resonated throughout the camp, joining the cries of three hundred children between the ages of eight and thirteen. This tragedy continued for five years. At the end of our trial, we realized that we were orphans of war. After twelve horrible days and nights of bombard- ment and hunger, we were able to wash ourselves and drink water. It was impossible for us to return home to our beloved families. Our teacher, Jakow Tobias, fought for his life as we did for ours. His compassion for us was great and he did everything to assist and calm us. He saw in us, JACOW TOBIAS The teacher-hero who saved 80 Jewish Bialystoker children during World War II, from Druskieniki to Russia. After the War he led the children to Israel, where they live now. Jacob Tobias died in September, 1970. parentless boys and girls who still believed at that time we would be reunited with our families, a consolation for himself. He saved us from death as the bombs fell. Panic gripped us as we scattered in all directions follow- ing an air assault. Luck, however, was with us; not one child was killed. Arriving in the Urals in Russia, we became insepa- rable. Some tried to divide us at a time when we did not have the necessities of life, but their efforts came to naught. We stayed together as a group and were pre- pared to share the same fate. At that time Mr. Tobias initiated contact with Jews in Israel, to whom he sent a list of our names. We all developed a love for the land of Israel. Moreover, we missed our parents and families very much. The nights 134 seemed like an eternity. Many of us cried and felt aban- doned. The bombings and the terror left us with deep emotional scars. The younger children sought warmth from the older ones, who began fulfilling the function of surrogate parents. In 1946, when the time came to repatriate Polish war refugees from Russia, our teachers had to convince us to return to Poland, knowing full well that our par- ents had perished at the hands of the Nazis. Mr. Tobias’ objective, however, was to prepare us for emigration to Israel. On July 2, 1946, a group consisting of fifty-nine Jewish children and young adults, aged twelve to eight- een, set out for Aliyah to Israel from several points of embarkation. Our devoted principal, Mr. Szmuel Mar- kowicz, assisted us in preparing for our journey. At great danger to himself, he escorted us to the Russian- Polish border. Once we arrived in Poland, Mr. Tobias assumed full responsibility. Previously he had been in contact with the underground Zionist organization Bricha, which was active inside Poland. Our newly formed kib- butz merged with the Kibbutz Dror. Living conditions were not bad and we were treated with Israeli warmth and concern. We learned Hebrew and other subjects pertaining to Israel in further preparation for Aliyah.. We continued on our way to Israel as part of the Kibbutz Dror. Many Jews from Bialystok financed our travel through Poland and all the way to Israel. Following the twenty-second Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, we were divided into two groups, according to age and physical condition, and were about ready to go to Israel. A large part of our kibbutz departed on the ship Theodor Herzl. The rest of the kib- butz was taken to Cyprus. Those children who arrived in Israel by various routes and under different circum- stances united to help build the Jewish State. On June 9, 1966, all the members of the kibbutz participated in a reunion marking twenty-five years since we faced danger together at Druskeniki. We remi- nisced about the hard times a quarter century earlier. Many proudly described their accomplishments in edu- cation, work and family life. Jakow Tobias continued as an educator in Israel, heading a school in Safed until his death in September, 1970. To the very end, he remained in close contact with those of us whom he shepherded to safety. We make every effort to remain in touch, getting together from time to time and assisting each other when necessary. The Bialystoker Memorial Book